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The Constitution: Atlanta, GA

Thursday, October 22, 1903

Mayor Howell announced yesterday morning that he would place his veto upon the resolution which changes to Whitehall place the name of Smith street from Whitehall to Glenn street. This he will do for the reason that there is already one Whitehall place in Atlanta. The city code shows that it runs from Brotherton to Fair street.

The proposed change in the name of Smith street has attracted considerable attention, mainly because of the opposition of the real estate men and the members of the bar to the measure. Forrest Adair made speeches before both the street committee, of which Alderman Terry is chairman, and before council, but the members of both bodies disagreed with his views and voted to change the name of the thoroughfare.

When the resolution went to Mayor Howell for his consideration Mr. Adair again appeared and presented arguments against the proposed change in the name of the street. Mayor Howell announced that he would hear from the other side before reaching a decision, but before those who favor the change of name could be heard Secretary Goodwin discovered in the city code that there already exists a Whitehall place and he so informed the mayor yesterday morning which resulted in an immediate veto.

The Constitution: Atlanta, GA

Wednesday, October 21, 1903

Proposed Change in the Name of Smith Street Was Discussed Before Him Yesterday.

Arguments against changing the names of streets were heard yesterday morning by Mayor Howell. Forrest Adair, who appeared for the real estate men and attorneys of Atlanta, spoke against the custom. Representatives of the other side will be heard by the mayor whenever they desire.

The speeches were based upon the measure which changes the name of Smith street, between Whitehall street and Glenn street, to Whitehall place. Mayor Howell has until next Thursday evening to decide whether he will approve or veto the measure.

The resolution changing the name of the street was vigorously opposed by Mr. Adair both before the street committee and during the session of council, but notwithstanding his objections and despite the petitions from real estate men and members of the local bar, council voted to change the name of the street.

Tuesday, October 20, 1903

The protest made by Mr. Forrest Adair to the city council yesterday against the frequent and often capricious changing of the names of streets in the city is deserving of that body.

The value of certainty in the metes and bounds used in describing real estate grows in importance with the growth of the city. The activity of the real estate market is dependent in large measure upon the accuracy and permanency of such descriptions, the more so as the city fills up with new citizens. They are unacquainted with our old maps and the metamorphoses of local names. They look only to the chain of titles and, as Mr. Adair says, they frequently refuse a property because of the vagarious changes of the names of streets that occur in consecutive deeds.

A yet greater reason why council should be slow to change the names of our thoroughfares is the fact that already the names of landmark streets have been changed, the honors paid to pioneer citizens obliterated and names that should have remained linked with localities and thoroughfares crossed off our map for fanciful and unsuggestive substitutes, in some cases these changes have almost amounted to a profanation of the fathers of the city. The names of former mayors, even of that one who heroically bore the interests of the city in the awful days of Sherman’s siege and occupancy, the noble James M. Calhoun, have been sacrificed for meaningless titles.

Change Whitehall street to “Commerce avenue,” Marietta street to “Bucephalus boulevard,” and Peachtree street to “Elite avenue,” and by those three simple substitutions that can be adopted in three minutes in council, the Atlanta of history and of common knowledge and pride throughout Georgia and the union will be obliterated.

Patriotic and commercial reasons, especially the important one of making readable and acceptable titles to real estate, are plenty enough to cause council to deliberate long before it takes down the names of well-known streets to replace them with the tony and pride-tickling titles that have been invented without rhyme or reason. We trust the city is at the end of that sort of uncalled for vandalism.

TUESday, October 20, 1903

Was Changed to Whitehall Place by Council Yesterday.

The name of Smith street, from Whitehall street to Glenn street, was Monday afternoon changed by council to Whitehall place and if Mayor Howell gives his approval to the measure it will become a law.

Forrest Adair, for the real estate men, spoke against the change of name, but the members of the body believed that the wishes of the residents of the street should be regarded.

The report of the street committee, which was favorable in changing the name of Smith street to Whitehall place, having been read, the privilege of the floor was extended to Forrest Adair, who spoke against the custom of changing the names of the streets. A number of real estate men and attorneys were present.

Mr. Adair said:

“Before final action is taken on the report of the street committee to change the name of Smith street to Whitehall place I desire to present certain facts taken from the record in reference to the custom or habit into which the council has fallen of making such changes.

“In doing this I wish to distinctly disclaim any desire to personally oppose any of the residents of that street. I am interested in the ownership of property on the street, and will aid them in any movement that may lead to its improvement.

“I have prepared from the records a list which I herewith present to you, showing that four hundred and forty-seven changes have been made in the names of streets, several of them having borne as many as eight different names.

“This causes serious trouble and inconvenience to the real estate agents, attorneys and to the property owners themselves in trading titles when real estate is sold, it being well nigh impossible to convince one from the record of the correct identity of the lot so variously described.

“My firm has just sold a piece of property on the corner of Walton street and Tabernacle place, and the deed of the present owner describes it as being on the corner of Walton and Harris streets, while the next deed in the chain of title describes it as being on the corner of Foundry street. I have actually known of titles being rejected on account of the doubt as to identity.

“How many of you gentlemen of the city council can now direct a stranger to the six Peachtree streets? We have the one peerless Peachtree, and in addition, West Peachtree, Peachtree place, West Peachtree place, Peachtree road and East Peachtree terrace, which, however, has recently been changed back to its original name, because no one can find it.

“Smith, the street now under consideraytion, has been variously known as Stephen, South, Simpson, Newman and Gate City.

Named for a Pioneer.

“This street was named for an honored pioneer citizen, Mr. Windsor Smith, who, in the ante-vellum days, together with the Colliers, Jones, Loyd, Calhoun, Joseph Thompson, Richard Peters and others, were by their brain, industry and enterprise helping Marthasville to discard her swaddling clothes, thereby making this great city of Atlanta a possibility.

“In 1861, just as the darkness and gloom of a civil war appeared on the horizon, Mr. Smith died, and ten years later his friends and neighbors, who knew of his value and worth to the community, paid to his memory a tribute by giving one of the cities arteries of trade his name.

“The others were in like manner honored by those who thought it fitting to in some way carry down to after generations the names of the fathers of our beloved city.

“One by one, and for no good reason, in order to gratify the whim of the residents, whose minds are as vacillating as the winds, you have ruthlessly taken away this honor and shattered the only monuments to many of them.

“Calhoun was changed to Piedmont and absolutely no benefit has been derived therefrom.

“Loyd to Central avenue, and lots on that street bring no more per front foot.

“Collins to Courtland, and yet Maison de Joie still flourish furnishing superior facilities for our sons to prostitute their persons, debauch their souls and cut each other down in midnight drunken brawls.

“You robbed Joseph Thompson, the father of Mrs. Richard Peters, Mrs. Thomas M. Clarke, Joseph and Edgar Thompson, of the tribute paid to him because, by your permissions, the street had become disreputable.

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” and Madison avenue today with its cess pools and slimy sewers of men’s passions, its supurating sores, its reeking ulcers on the social body, emits its stinking odors as high toward the heavens as Thompson street ever did.

Clean the Streets.

“If our only monuments of marble and bronze, erected to Hill and Grady, were to become damaged or discolored, would you change their names or cleanse them? In all respect to you gentlemen, I say that your duty was to remove the stain from the streets rather than efface the tribute to the memory of the grand men who had been thus honored.

“In West End, near my home, are two streets named for the two heroes, Lee and Gordon, and on the north side, Forrest avenue, named for the recklessly valiant genius, whose name I am proud to bear.

“A councilman who would even suggest a change of these names would bring down upon himself the condemnation of his constituents, and the resolution if read in this chamber would be drowned with hisses.

“The names of these heroes are reverenced by us because they led in the fight for principles and for a cause we love and yet I say to you that in the battle of building up our city and its enterprises, Thompson, Calhoun, Colliers, Smith, Peters and others fought just as valiantly, ever ready to lay upon the altar their labor, their fortunes or their lives.

“I submit that aside from the legal authority with which you may be clothed, viewing this matter in its broader sense of right and justice, you really have no right to make such changes, and I apeal to you in behalf of the families of these pioneers who did more for our city than any man who lives today and in behalf of the business men and citizens at large, to put a stop to this absolutely unnecessary and confusing custom of changing the names of streets.”

Councilman Winn, who presented the resolution changing the name of Smith street, stated that he had done so because the residents of the thoroughfare had requested him to have the name changed.

The report of the street committee was adopted and the name of Smith street from Whitehall to Glenn streets, will therefore be known in the future as Whitehall place if the mayor approves.

Saturday, October 17, 1903

Startling State of Affairs Brought to Attention of Councilmen.

Evidence of Proposed Change in Name of Smith Street, Which Is Favorably Recommended by Street Committee.

The fact that more than 225 streets of Atlanta have had from two to eight names, resulting in confusion and trouble to the real estate agents and the attorneys, was brought to the attention of the street committee of council, of which Alderman Terry is chairman, yesterday afternoon by Forrest Adair, who introduced this evidence in opposing the proposed change in name of Smith street to Whitehall place.

Petitions from fifty-eight members of the bar and from twenty-one real estate dealers were presented to the committee by Mr. Adair at the same time he offered a list of those streets whose names have been changed.

Notwithstanding the statements of Mr. Adair and the petition from attorneys and real estate men the committee decided to again recommend that the name of Smith street be changed. The matter now goes to council, where it will be acted upon during the session next Monday afternoon. Residents of the street desire the change in name.

In opposing the proposed change in the name of the street Mr. Adair state that in many instances titles had become so confused as a result of the constant change in the names of streets that parties now claim land that is in no manner described by their deeds.

Parties who desired to sell their land and those who desired borrowing money on their property often found it impossible to attain these ends because of the changes that had been made in the names of the streets. In addition to this, he said, there is no index to the records of the city, and as a consequence it is with much difficulty that the identity of the present streets is established.

Changes in Street Names

The list presented by Mr. Adair, showing the changes in the names of about 225 streets, is as follows:

The Constitution, Atlanta, GA. Tuesday, July 21, 1885

The General Council Closes Barber Shops.

The General Council Convenes in Regular Session – The Barbers Send in a Petition Which is Granted – A Batch of Petitions – Mr. Middlebrooks on Bill Board Pictures

There will be no more shaving and hair cutting in Atlanta on Sunday.

The general council has so decreed it.

During the regular session of the body yesterday afternoon Mr. Cooper, chairman of the ordinance committee, presented an ordinance prohibiting barbers from keeping open doors on the Sabbath day or working behind closed doors.

The ordinance was drawn by Mr.Cooper in accordance with a petition from the Atlanta barbers. That petition was signed by sixty-six of seventy odd barbers in Atlanta, and urgently requested the general council to pass an ordinance prohibiting barbers from working on Sunday.

A DEBATE ENSUES.

The ordinance created a warm discussion. Mr. Van Winkle opening the fight.

Mr. Van Winkle wears side whiskers and when the lather is applied to his face the razor covers only the small surface of a chin. Mr. Van Winkle has but little use for the tonsorial artist, but he was opposed to the ordinance. He thought that a man ought to have a shave when he felt inclined to invest fifteen cents in the luxury.

Mr. Garrett, whose large, round face has never been hidden by a beard, did not know just how he stood. He was perfectly willing to take his shave Saturday, so he said, as he ran his hand across one cheek, out of which a Saturday’s shave was showing itself. “But,” he continued, “I don’t think

EVERYONE WILL AGREE WITH ME.

Now there is the traveling man. He may reach Atlanta late Saturday night, and may want a shave Sunday morning. This ordinance would then work him a hardship. Suppose we pass this ordinance and exempt the hotels. Let the barbershops at the hotels stay open on Sunday. How’s that, eh?”

“That won’t do, Mr. Garrett,” said Mr. Grambling, another gentleman without a beard. Now, I shave as often as anybody, but I am willing to take mine Saturday nigh or do without until Monday. But let us close all or none.”

“Them’s my sentiments,” said Mr. Beatie whose face has never known a razor. “I’m in favor of closing them all. Shut up the shops and give the a rest on Sunday. They ought not work anyhow on that day.”

“No, I’m glad I don’t,” said Mr. Beatie, “and I think barbers will go out of fashion some of these days and we’ll all wear beards.”

“Well, I move to amend that ordinance,” said Mr. Mecaslin, who sometimes wears a delicate beard and sometimes presents a clean face. “I want to change it so that the hotels can keep their shops open on Sunday.”

“Oh, that ain’t fair,” said Mr. Cooper, who has shaved off a heavy, luxuriant beard recently, and now wears a small nut brown or

OLD GOLD MUSTACHE.

“That ain’t fair, I say. The object of the petitions sent in here by the barbers was to have all shops treated alike. Don’t close part and leave part open. That would be to ruin those who close. The patrons of the barber who shuts up would leave him to go to the shop that stays open. You see what that would result in. Then, again, the barber works hard from Monday morning until midnight Saturday. He wants Sunday to rest in. Don’t exempt the hotel shops, but pass the bill as it stands or defeat it. I have no personal interest in the matter. The barber, on an average, is a good citizen, and I am here to represent any class that asks for a measure.”

“I move,” said Mr. Beatie, “to table Mr. Mecaslin’s amendment.”

IT WAS DONE.

The amendment was lost.

“Now,” said Mr. Mecaslin, “I move we table the ordinance.”

The motion to table the ordinance was lost.

“Well, I’d like to have a whack at this,” said McAfee, whose rosy cheeks have never been hidden by a rough unkept beard, “I move the adoption of the ordinance.”

The ordinance was adopted.

Mr. Bill Mickleberry, the beardless, was not there to vote.

Mr. Mahoney, who wears no beard, and Mr. Middlebrooks, whose blushes can’t be seen on account of a heavy beard, took not part in the debate.

Mr. Stockdell and Mr. Hutchinson were absent, but both are regular Sunday patrons of barber shops.

STEPPING STONES OR CROSSINGS.

Mr. Mahoney, of the street committee, offered a resolution, directing the contractors putting down belgian block on Decatur to sink crossing at the intersection of the streets.

Mr. Beatie opposed the resolution vehemently. He said among other things that a street paved with belgian block had no more right to the crossings than a brass monkey had for a new shirt.

Mr. McAfee supported the resolution.

So did Mr. Cooper, who claimed that the general council had nothing to do with the work, but that it was a matter in the hands of the street commission.

The mayor differed with Mr. Cooper.

The resolution was sustained.

The police committee made reports upon the

TWO SALOONS ON MITCHELL STREET,

near Broad. The reports recommended that the saloons be given a license until August 1st, and that after that no license issued.

One of these saloons is run by a widow lady, a Mrs. Mangum. Mr. Robert Hill appeared before the council and argued against the report.

Mr. McAfee through the committee had right to debar a person from applying for a license hereafter. He made several ineffectual efforts to have the report amended.

Mr. May coincided with Mr. McAfee.

The report was adopted.

Mayor Hillyer sent in a lengthy paper, which when read proved to be a veto of the five-feet sewer between Houston and Wheat streets. He assigned as his reasons the inadequacy of the sewer to the demands made upon it.

THE WATER WORKS.

Mr. Kirkpatrick, of the special committee on the water works, stated that his committee had made progress. He then said that letters had been received from a great many civil engineers who were willing to make the survey contemplated, but that the committee found trouble in selecting. He then suggested that a member of the committee or two members might be sent to New York and have a conference. The suggestion resulted in the adoption of a resolution authorizing the mayor and a member of the committee on general council to visit Richmond, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York and examine the water works system and employ an engineer. Two hundred dollars was appropriated for the trip.

BILL BOARD SENSATION.

Mr. McAfee presented a petition from Darly, the bill poster, asking to be allowed to put up some bill boards.

The resolution was about to go through when Mr. Middlebrooks secured the floor and said: